Gen Katumba recounts 2021 assassination attempt that killed daughter and driver

What the report says

Public Service Minister Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala testified before the International Crimes Division of Uganda’s High Court in Kampala, giving a detailed account of the June 1, 2021 attack on his convoy that killed his daughter, Brenda Nantongo Wamala, and driver, Sgt Haruna Kayondo. The hearing was before a four-judge panel as prosecutors near the end of their case against six men facing terrorism, murder, aggravated robbery and related charges.

According to The Observer’s report, Katumba said he was travelling from his home in Bulabira to Najjanankumbi with his daughter, driver and bodyguard when gunfire suddenly erupted after the vehicle left Kisota Road. He said he was shot in both shoulders, managed to crawl from the car, and took cover before being helped to medical care. He described emergency treatment at Malcolm Medical Centre, later surgery at Medipal International Hospital and further operations abroad, including in Atlanta, Georgia. He also said the attack permanently changed how he lives and moves in public.

The prosecution says the accused were part of a wider network responsible for a series of attacks in Kampala and other parts of Uganda, including murders, robberies and attempted murders. The article also notes that investigators recovered weapons, motorcycles and other items during searches, and that prosecutors have linked some firearms to earlier high-profile killings. That broader case gives context to why Katumba’s testimony matters: it is part of a major terrorism and murder trial involving allegations of organized armed violence.